Previously on My Life…How My TV Show Helped Me Take Control of My Story
I moved to Chicago a few years after college. I didn’t know anyone and made very little money. I spent a lot of my time journaling in my bedroom. I wasn’t thinking about “healing” or “personal growth.” Honestly? I was just looking for a way to make sense of my days. And since I was already hooked on TV shows—obsessed, really—I thought: Why not write my life like one?
So I did. I wrote my journal entries as if they were TV show recaps. You know the kind—play-by-plays of last night’s episode with a snarky tone and a little bit of exaggeration. Suddenly, my life wasn’t just a string of errands and to-do lists. It was a show.
The magic was in the framing. Writing like a recap let me make big things small and small things big. It turned out to be a powerful way for me to take control of the narrative of my life.
A breakup? Instead of spiraling, I wrote it like a season finale cliffhanger. Sure, it was dramatic, but it wasn’t the end—just a setup for the next season. A boring Tuesday? I elevated it to “a surprisingly heartfelt filler episode where the protagonist found meaning in folding laundry.” A bad day at work? Oh, that was a “bottle episode” where the hero survived the endless team meeting armed only with coffee and sarcasm.
By writing this way, I discovered something important: I was never the victim in my own journal. Not once. I wasn’t a background character things happened to. I was the main character. The one steering the plot. The one deciding how the story was told.
And here’s the kicker—it gave me control. Life can be chaotic, unfair, and downright ridiculous. But in my journal, I got to decide the tone. Was this week a drama? A comedy? A gritty reboot? My choice. Journaling like a recap helped me reframe my experiences, find humor in the mess, and take back my narrative when it felt like everything else was out of my hands.
Looking back, that simple habit reshaped the way I saw myself. It wasn’t just about writing down events—it was about claiming the role of star, not supporting cast. I could be flawed, funny, dramatic, or quiet, but always central to the story.
That’s exactly the spirit behind the Starring Me! Journal. I created it because I believe everyone deserves to be the star of their own show. Your journal doesn’t have to be heavy or serious all the time. It can be playful, cheeky, dramatic—whatever you need it to be. The important part is that you’re in charge of the script.
So if you’ve ever wanted to flip your life into a show, here’s your chance. Write your own “previously on,” narrate your plot twists, and celebrate the filler episodes that are secretly the best ones. Because your story? It’s worth telling—and you’re the one who gets to tell it.
🎬 Ready to start? Grab your copy of the Starring Me! Journal here and start writing your life like the hit series it already is.
